Articles

WASHINGTON—The Wild Steelhead Coalition is asking you to take a minute to review the 2012 Rule Proposals developed by its Science and Policy Committee and submitted to the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife to help protect wild steelhead. Some highlights, that are sure to be controversial with the boat and bobber contingent, include NO fishing from a floating device on select rivers including the Sol Duc, Calawah, Hoh, Bogachiel, and Klickitat. The proposal also pushes for a statewide catch-and-release initiative for all wild steelhead.

The coalition says no wild steelhead should be retained at any time. No exceptions.

Why this change is needed: "Of the seven wild steelhead DSP’s in Washington, five are now ESA listed and the other two are in long term decline. In the 1950’s, 100 plus streams produced good harvests (WDG 1950’s), but today only 9 rivers make the WDFW modeled spawner escapements and can be open to limited harvest. The Wild Steelhead Coalition recommends the state manage in a more conservative manner to assure these few remaining populations are not depleted. CnR fishing is the rule in all rivers in British Columbia and it is well respected by the sport fishing community. This rule will prevent further erosion of Washington wild populations and help rebuild their runs to the higher abundances documented in recent history (McMillan 2006; Gayeski 2012). We need to recognize that the Olympic Peninsula Rivers are the only waters where wild steelhead fisheries can now occur; that steelhead are highly vulnerable to CnR impacts, and if these stocks become depleted, fishing will end for wild steelhead in Washington."